January 6, 2017-Are You Living Christ’s Full Power?

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27, NIV)

Friend to Friend

There I was. People zoomed left and right around me, within this glorious city, glowing with foreign sparkle. A huge cathedral stood like a mountain, towering over my small frame. I observed everything, the people, speaking a different language, the hustle and the bustle, moving around me.

Would what I had in me – be enough? Would all that I contained inside me come out – and matter? I wasn’t so sure. I’d spent years, learning, studying and practicing “Hola’s” and “¿Cómoestás?” within the concrete walls of college, but here? Here in this place where people seem to talk a mile a minute?

What would happen if I unleashed the power within me? The idea scared me.

But still, I spoke – loud and proud. And what came about was a life-changing realization: my words had the ability to move with power, effectiveness and life. God opened my eyes.

Spanish was in me, but until this point, I never let it work through me.

Christ is in me, but often I don’t believe He’ll work through me.

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

There is power in realizing that the One – in you, wants to work – through you.

The hope of glory, Jesus Christ, is not in us just to hang out. He is in us to be worked out into the world.

Do I allow this?

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms… (Ephesians 1:18-20)

To think, I am empowered with the same strength that raised Jesus from the dead seems incomprehensible. It seems impossible. It seems impractical.

Which is probably why I live incapacitated and ineffective.

What if I really believed? What if I truly believed God wants to pour out His powerful hope onto others with transformational impact? What if I believed people might really see Christ through me? What if I believed I could change the world, in profound ways, like Jesus Christ changed the world?

Consider this for a moment, if you don’t think you can tackle something, you often don’t try. What a waste. The same goes for faith, if you don’t believe it, you’ll often never see it.

Today, let’s see Christ within us and let Him flow into the world with the power He has already told us we’re afforded.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, You have put “the hope of glory” in me. May I not be afraid of who You are. May I not be ashamed. May I not be fearful. Instead, may I be strong, confident and sure ofYour strength. May I go into the world ready to shine Your light. Equip me and empower me.

In Jesus’ Name,Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Read Matthew 5:15. How does this verse encourage you to shine Jesus Christ brighter and farther?

More from the Girlfriends

Kelly Balarie, blogger at Purposeful Faith and author of “Fear Fighting: Awakening the Courage to Overcome Your Fears” is passionate about joining hands with women who often find themselves stuck in the pits of life. Step-by-step, word-by-word, her dream is that together they can emerge better – fear, fret and panic-free. Get all of Kelly’s Purposeful Faith blog posts by email for a dose of inspiration and encouragement.

About Girl Friends in God

Girlfriends in God is a non-denominational devotion and conference ministry that crosses generational and racial boundaries to bring the Body of Christ together as believers. Just as God sent Ruth to Naomi and Mary to Elizabeth, God continues to use women to encourage and equip other women in their spiritual journey.

2 Comments

I am extremely moved by your article. What a timely read, encouraging purposeful action!

Love the wording of this (and the article as a whole):

“…There is power in realizing that the One – in you, wants to work – through you.

The hope of glory, Jesus Christ, is not in us just to hang out. He is in us to be worked out into the world.

Do I allow this?”

With this new year, I’ve been reassessing what I’m allowing – or not allowing – “to be worked out into the world.” So, Kelly, your words definitely line up with this season of regrouping for me. I will share on my Facebook page and revisit this beautiful piece of writing — often! 🙂

Dear Penny – It blesses me that your visit to LivingBettter50.com led to reading the devotion by Kelly. We are also so blessed by their contributions to our site. GirlFriendsInGod.com have been faithful to share the gospel on our site and I know many women who are blessed and changed by their devotions! We are honored to feature them and their devotions on our website.

We are called to be a light in the world and we are so blessed to have the living God in us, who is the light of the world!